Voyager Therapeutics Enters Capsid License Agreement and Strategic Collaboration with Novartis to Advance Novel Gene Therapies
January 02 2024 - 7:00AM
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR), a biotechnology company
dedicated to advancing neurogenetic medicines, today announced a
strategic collaboration and capsid license agreement with Novartis
Pharma AG, a subsidiary of Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) to advance
potential gene therapies for Huntington’s disease (HD) and spinal
muscular atrophy (SMA). Voyager will provide Novartis a
target-exclusive license to access Voyager’s TRACER™ capsids and
other intellectual property for the respective diseases, and
Voyager and Novartis will collaborate to advance a preclinical gene
therapy candidate for HD.
“We are thrilled to expand our existing relationship with
Novartis, a global leader in the gene therapy field,” said Alfred
W. Sandrock, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Voyager.
“Combining the proven capabilities of Novartis in gene therapy
development and commercialization with Voyager’s next-generation
TRACER capsids and payloads could enable the advancement of
important new therapies for patients. In addition, the
consideration Voyager will receive from this collaboration will
strengthen our balance sheet and extend our runway into
mid-2026.”
“We look forward to broadening our work with Voyager to help
bring forward novel, high-impact gene therapies with the potential
to improve the lives of patients affected by severe neurologic
conditions,” said Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research
at Novartis. “We believe Voyager’s TRACER capsids hold promise for
enabling next-generation gene therapies for diseases of the central
nervous system, aligning well with our deep neuroscience expertise
and gene therapy leadership at Novartis.”
Novartis previously exercised options to license novel capsids
generated from Voyager’s TRACER capsid discovery platform for use
in gene therapy programs against two undisclosed neurological
disease targets.
Collaboration Details and Financial TermsUnder
the terms of the agreement, Novartis has agreed to pay Voyager $100
million of consideration up front, including a $20 million purchase
of newly issued equity in Voyager. Voyager is eligible to receive
up to $1.2 billion in preclinical, development, regulatory and
sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on global net sales
of products incorporating Voyager’s TRACER capsids. Novartis will
obtain target-exclusive access to Voyager’s TRACER capsids related
to SMA for the duration of the agreement and will be responsible
for all development and commercialization. Novartis will also
receive worldwide rights to Voyager’s AAV gene therapy for HD,
leveraging Voyager’s TRACER capsids and proprietary payloads.
Voyager will be responsible for preclinical advancement and
Novartis will be responsible for all clinical development and
commercialization for the HD program.
Chestnut Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to
Voyager on this transaction.
About the TRACER™ Capsid Discovery
PlatformVoyager’s TRACER™ (Tropism Redirection of AAV by
Cell-type-specific Expression of RNA) capsid discovery platform is
a broadly applicable, RNA-based screening platform that enables
rapid discovery of AAV capsids with robust penetration of the
blood-brain barrier and enhanced central nervous system (CNS)
tropism in multiple species, including non-human primates (NHPs).
In preclinical studies, TRACER generated capsids have demonstrated
widespread gene expression in the CNS compared to conventional AAV
capsids as well as cell- and tissue-specific transduction,
including to areas of the brain that have been traditionally
difficult to reach, while de-targeting the liver and dorsal root
ganglia. As part of its external partnership strategy, Voyager has
established multiple collaboration agreements providing access to
its next-generation TRACER capsids to potentially enable its
partners’ gene therapy programs to treat a variety of diseases.
About Voyager TherapeuticsVoyager
Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company
dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the
course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. Our
pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other
diseases of the central nervous system. Many of our programs are
derived from our TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which we
have used to generate novel capsids and identify associated
receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic
medicines following intravenous dosing. Some of our programs are
wholly owned, and some are advancing with partners including
Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Novartis Pharma AG; Neurocrine
Biosciences, Inc.; and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. For more
information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.
Voyager Therapeutics® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is
a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe
harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words
such as “aims,” “will,” “could,” or “potential,” and other similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements.
For example, all statements Voyager makes regarding the
potential for Voyager’s collaboration with Novartis to enable the
discovery, development and advancement of important new therapies
for patients with spinal muscular atrophy and Huntington’s disease;
Voyager’s cash runway and Voyager’s ability to generate sufficient
cash resources to enable it to continue its business and
operations; the potential of Voyager’s intravenous TRACER capsids
to enable high brain penetration, target and de-target certain
tissues, and enable next generation gene therapies for diseases of
the central nervous system; and Voyager’s ability to modify the
course of, and ultimately cure, neurological diseases are forward
looking.
All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and
assumptions by Voyager’s management that, although Voyager believes
such forward-looking statements to be reasonable, are inherently
uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those that Voyager expected. Such risks and uncertainties
include, among others, the continued development of Voyager’s
technology platforms, including Voyager’s TRACER platform and its
antibody screening technology; the ability to initiate and conduct
preclinical studies in animal models; the development by third
parties of capsid identification platforms that may be competitive
to Voyager’s TRACER capsid discovery platform; Voyager’s ability to
create and protect intellectual property rights associated with the
TRACER capsid discovery platform, the capsids identified by the
platform, and development candidates for Voyager’s pipeline
programs; the initiation, timing, conduct and outcomes of Voyager’s
preclinical studies; the possibility or the timing of Voyager’s
receipt of program reimbursement, development or commercialization
milestones, option exercise, and other payments under Voyager’s
current licensing or collaboration agreements; the ability of
Voyager to negotiate and complete licensing or collaboration
agreements with other parties on terms acceptable to Voyager and
the third parties; the ability to attract and retain talented
directors, employees, and contractors; and the sufficiency of cash
resources to fund its operations and pursue its corporate
objectives.
These statements are also subject to a number of material risks
and uncertainties that are described in Voyager’s most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. All information in the press release is as of
the date of this press release, and any forward-looking statement
speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Voyager undertakes
no obligation to publicly update or revise this information or any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contacts
InvestorsInvestors@vygr.comAndrew
Funderburkafunderburk@kendallir.com
MediaTrista Morrisontmorrison@vygr.comPeg
Rusconiprusconi@vergescientific.com
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